GUIDES
Guides: the drivers behind your premium
A state average tells you where the middle of the market sits. These guides explain the factors that push a real home away from that middle, with worked arithmetic built only from the published figures on this site. Each one ends with the questions to ask before you bind or renew.
Disclaimer: Published averages and ranges, not a quote. This page is not insurance advice.
Replacement cost vs market value
The number that actually matters for your dwelling limit, and why guessing low backfires after a total loss.
Roof age and material: why insurers care so much
The roof is the first line of defence against water. Settlement terms, documentation, and the payback arithmetic.
Flat deductible vs percentage deductible
Do the arithmetic before you choose: what 1% or 2% really costs on a $300k, $500k or $750k dwelling limit.
HO-3 vs HO-5: what the extra breadth really covers
What broadening personal property protection really adds, and how to compare declarations side by side.
Flood insurance is separate
The gap many homeowners miss: rising water is not in a standard policy, and our averages exclude it.
How to lower your premium without being underinsured
Accuracy, funded deductibles, real credits and identical-coverage shopping. The cuts that keep the protection.
How to use these guides with the numbers
Start with your state on the cost by state table to get the published average and its comparison with the national figure. Then run the Home Cover Benchmark at your own dwelling band to see a range with its factors printed. The guides explain what each factor means in a real policy: the dwelling limit, the roof, the deductible, the policy form, the flood gap, and the safe savings. Read how we choose sources for the standard behind every figure, and the disclaimer for what a benchmark can and cannot decide for you.